The Benefits of Sight Singing

Sight-singing means taking a piece you’ve never seen, or heard before, and singing your way through it, or a section of it. This can be an intimidating process, but it can be very beneficial for singers:

#1. Conquering fear:
Many people don’t like sight-singing because it makes them incredibly vulnerable. The risk of singing a wrong note (or several!) is exponentially higher when sight-singing. But sight singing your way through a piece of music can be of great benefit to one’s confidence; it is such a comfort to know that you’ve sung through the piece once, and now every iteration of that piece will be an improvement.

#2. Musical literacy:
Learning to read music fluently can be a difficult process, and one that takes many years. More than just learning to read the notes in the staff, sight singing teaches how to understand the overall structure of a piece of music, including phrasing, cadences, and dynamics.

#3. Improving aural skills:
Sight singing is just as much about hearing the music, as it is about reading it. The best sight singers also have an excellent ability to hear, and interpret what they’re reading on the page as sound. Developing an understanding of intervals, changing tonalities, and intonation are all important aspects of singing, and can be greatly improved by practicing your sight singing skills!

How else can sight singing benefit singers? Tell us in the comments below!